Rotary drill for drilling wells



M2 1952 w. H. ELLIS 2,611,583

ROTARY DRILL FOR DRILLING WELLS Filed April 6. 194a 15 S lNV EN ToR.

h illzarm ILEllzs BY I 13 I A TTORNEY Patented Sept. 23, 1952 OFFICE ROTARY DRILL FOR DRILLING WELLS William H. Ellis, Lovelaceville, Ky. Application April 6, 1948, Serial No. 19,233

2 Claims. (01. 55-23) My invention relates to rotary drills for drilling wells and an object of my invention is to provide a drill of the character indicated above, wherein r the bit is removably secured to the lower end of a drill of the character indicated above, in which the outer casing and the means for connecting the two casings with each other are adaptedtqbe removed when the drilling operation is completed.

Other objects of 'my invention not specifically mentioned may appear in the following specification describing my invention with reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention. It'is, however, to be understood that my invention is not to be limited or restricted to the exact construction and I combination of parts described in thespec'ification and shown in the drawingl but {that such changes and modifications may be made which fall within the scope of" the claims appended hereto. v 1

In order thatmy invention maybe betterunderstood, I will now proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawing, in the several figures of which similar parts are indicated by similar reference characters and where- Figure 1 1s an elevational ffront view partly shown in section of a, rotary drill according to-my invention; i

Figure 2 is a sectional view takenon line Z -Z inFigure, l, the gear housing coverbeing omitted;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken through the gear housing of. the rotaryldrill of my invention; i r 3 Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 in Figure 1 and showing a top plan view of a pipe wrench used in connection with the drill of my invention; and v s Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5 5 in Figure 1. i

The rotary drill forming the subject matter of my invention comprises a substantially circular body 0, on one side of which a radially extending flat arm H is formed, on thetopof which a bearing i2 is formed adjacent its outer edge. On the lower surface ofthe arm ll, aidownwardly extending longitudinal central rib i3 is provided and on each side of this rib a supporting angle [4 is secured by. means of bolts or the like extending through the upstanding legs of the angles and through the rib. Diametrically opposite of the rib l3, 9, narrow rib-like projection i6 extends radially outward from the body in and a second pair of supporting angles I1 is secured to this projection by means of bolts [8 or the like. The four supporting angles l4 and IT are arranged so that the lower surfaces of the outwardly extending legs thereof are located substantially in the same horizontal plane. Each of said outstanding angle legs is provided with a plurality of bolt holes IS.

The body III is provided with a centrally located bore 20 having counterbore 2! at its upper end. A bushing 22 is arrangedin the bore 20 and has on its upper end a circumferential flange 23 fitting snugly in the counterbore 2|. I A bowl shaped gear housing. 24 has a central circular opening '25 surrounded by an upwardly extending sleeve 26 and rigidly mounted on top of the body It as indicated at 26c by Welding. I

The inner diameters of the bushing 22 and of the sleeve 26 are equal, and these two elements ing C consisting in a pipe.2'l located rotatably in the bushing andthe' sleeve and extending upwardly somewhat'above the upper edge of the gear housing 24 and downwardly alcomparatively long distance below the lowersurface of the horizontal legs of the support angles l4 and I l. Approximately one half of the circumferential wall of nearly the entire outer casing portion projecting below the angles is cut away to form an elongated open' slot 28 for a purpose to be described later. 'A bevel gear 29encircles the upper portion ofthe outer casing pipe 2! to which it is secured as at 29a, by welding and rests rotatably on the upper edge of the sleeve 26. r Y A shaft 30 is rotatably supported in the bearing l2 and extends rotatably through a bushing 31 driven into a hole 32 inthe outer wall of. the gear housing 24. On the inner end portion of the shaft 30 a bevel pinion 33 is rigidly mounted and meshes with the bevel ear 29. On the outer end of the shaft 30 a pulley 34. or the like, is rigidly mounted and-is adapted to be driven by some conventional means (not shown) 'Ih'e gear housing may contain a lubricating means such as oil, as indicated at 35,.so that the pinion 33 clips into it and'thegears are 'oiled all the time.-*fA cover ,36 is removably secured onto the gear housing 24 by means of a plurality of screws 3'! or the like. The outer casing pipe 21 extends through said cover and a packing -38 is providedbetween the casing pipe and the cover." j A well casing 39- extends freely through the outer casing 21 and is constructed in the conventional manner. on the lowermost end portion of the well'casing'a conventionalzdrive shoe 40 is securely mounted and aclay bit 4| made from a flat piece of tool steel is set into diametrically extending slots provided in the bottom edge of the drive shoe.

A pipe wrench W consists of a flat body 42 on the foremost end portion of which a pipe wrench chain 43 is pivotally mounted as indicated at 44. The body portion adjacent this pivot connection is provided with a plurality of gripping teeth #5 projecting upwardly in respect to said body and radially toward each other. On thelast free link oi the pipe wrench chain 43 an eye bolt. Ailis pivotally mounted. A longitudinal slot 4? is pro vided in the body #2, and the bolt 45 extends through said slot. The pipe wrench W is arranged on the well casing 39 so that the gripping teeth engage said casing and the pipe wrench chain '33 surrounds it. On the end of the body opposite to the chain connection 44 a handle i3 is formed. When the wrench is putin positionon the well casing a nut 39 or the like is mounted on the portion of the bolt 16 extending through the slot 41. A hand lever 59 is pivotally mounted on the nut, so that the nut can be tightened by means of said hand lever. The nut engages-the body 42 and tightens the grip of the wrench chain 43 on the well casing. The hand lever 58 is pivoted to extend downwardly. The. handle 48 is located adjacent the edge of the slot in the outer casing 21 as shown at 5|. When the shaft 30 is rotated, the outer casing will be rotated about its axis and the handleis engaged by the slot edge, so. that the well casingfsfi is also rotated about its, axis. The drill bit 4i drills into the clay or dirt. The well casing slides down} wardly with respect to the outer casing. When the pipe wrench handle 48 arrives at the lower end of the outer casing, the chain 43 is loosened and the pipe wrench is slid upwardly on the well casing and then the chain is tightened again.

operation is repeated, until the well is completed. Then the pipe wrench W is removed from the well casing and the outer casing islifted from its seat on the gear housing after the cover has beenremoved. v j The above described, drill may be mounted on a pair of skids 5! or the like, which are adapted .to be secured to a motor truck (not shown) or the like. The support angles M and H are secured onto these skids by bolts extending, through the holes 14 and 1-9 in said angles respectively.

For maintaining the well pipe or casing 39 centered within the outer case C any suitable means may be employed such, for example, as the collar 39a inserted into the top end of the outer casing C. j

In a drill rig of the character herein described the casing or pipe 39 is rotated at about; roe revolutions per minute which causes the clay drill ll to bore into the earth. Duringthis boring water is pumped down through the casing-or pipe 38- to keep. the bit cleaned out, the water now ing back up. the hole around the casing 01' pipe 39 and out. of the outer casin C through the opened lower part thereof. The water returning from t e ill hole may be collected in any suitable hole or basing adiacentto the well and used over again. I

As is common practice in drilling wells in this manner, the shoe 40 in which the bit. 4.! is held, is provided with suitable wa erout-let apertures 40a through which the wash water passes from the casing 3.9.

The bit 41 is secured in the slot in the lower part of the shoe 40 by a soft bronze weld on one side only of the bit which permits the bit to be 4 knocked out when the well is completed, the bit being left in the well.

I claim:

1. A rotary drill for drilling-wells comprising an outer casing, means supporting the same vertically for rotation, a well pipe extendin through the outer casing and supported for rotation therein, a drill bit mounted on the lower end of the well pipe, means for releasably and slidably connecting the casing and pipe with each other, means for rotating said outer casing, the means for rotatably supporting the outer casing including a, bowl like gear housing provided with a central opening in its bottom and an upwardly extending sleeve defining said opening and adapted to receive the outer casing rotatably therein, a fixed body provided with" a vertical bore' having a counterbore at its upper end, a bushing having the same inside diameter as the sleeve and fitting snugly into the bore, a flange on the upper end of the :bushing fitting snugly into the counterbore, the gear housing being rigidly mounted ontop of the body so that the sleeve and the bushing are arranged coaXially with each other, a bevel gear rigidly mountedon the upper portion of the outer casing within the gear housing and rotatably resting on the upper edgeof the sleeve, a horizontal bearing formed on the-body, a'shait rotatably mounted in said bearing, means ior'applying rotary power to the shaft, the inner endportion 'of the shaft projecting rotatably through the wall of the gear housing, and a bevel pinion rigidly rnounte'd on said inner end perso of the shaft and; meshing with the'bevel gear." s ,1

25A rotary drill for drilling wells comprising ah'outercasing,,means supportin the same vertically for rotation, a well pipe extending through the outer "casing and supported for rotation therein, adrill' bit'mounted on the lower end of the well'pipe, means ref releasably and slidably connecting the-casing and fpipe with each other, mean for rotatingsaidouter casing, the 'means iorrotatably supporting the outer casing including a bowl like gear housing provided with a centralopening in its bottom and an upwardly extending sleeve defining said opening andadapted to, receivethe outer casing rotatably therein, a fixed body provided witha vertical bore having a counterbore at its upper end, a bushing having the same inside diameter as the sleeveand fitting snugly into the bore, a flange on the upper-end of the bushingfitting snuglyfinto the counterbore, the gear casing being firi'gidly mounted on top'of' the "body so that 'the sleeve andthe-bushing'are arranged coaxially with. each otherand a-plurality' ,of support-angles] secured'tcrthe' body and adapted tobesecuredto a ground traversing supporting structure.

- WILiJAMEELLrs.

I REFERENCES GITED The following references are of record in the meet this patent: 

